Dark Mirror
by SnarkyCoffee
Summary: Dr. Weir fears an alien entity has invaded Atlantis, yet scans show all's well. Suddenly, Elizabeth's vivid nightmares become a reality and her health fails her. Can SGA1 save Elizabeth before she destroys them all? McWeir pairing.
1. The spider

**Dark Mirror**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SGA's characters.**

A/N: This will be my first attempt at a serious drama type of McWeir story…so I guess we'll see how it goes! Please review, although I must admit I've calmed down now about that stuff (a month ago I panicked if I didn't have more than five reviews w/in the first couple of hours I posted…oh well, newbie-itis I suppose) Enjoy!

IOIOIO

Elizabeth sighed as she sank back against the headboard. She was exhausted. She hadn't really considered the amount of effort it took to direct the operations of an entire city when she had agreed to the job…_not that I'd have said anything different if I had_, Elizabeth thought ruefully, admitting her own insatiable thirst to rise above the ordinary. Sliding, Elizabeth tucked herself under the covers and allowed her head to fall backwards against her pillow. _I just wish I'd have had an inkling…then I could have packed…something…_Elizabeth's inner dialogue began to trail off as sleep filtered through her consciousness. Snuggling into her pillow and moving her feet firmly inside the warmth of her blankets, Elizabeth gratefully let her subconscious take over the controls. Quiet settled over the room as the lights dimmed and went off completely, and Elizabeth's breathing sank into a soft, easy rhythm.

_Swoosh._

The door to Elizabeth's quarters slid open quietly. For a moment, the corridor was empty. Then, slowly, a shimmering pool of liquid crept in through the doorway, winding it's way towards the bed. With a flick of a tendril, the door slid closed again. Cautiously, the liquid began to bunch up, folding in on itself until it formed the shape of a large spider. The only sound in the room was the rustle of the bed sheet as the spider-like creature crawled up the bed and across Elizabeth's chest. She slumbered onward, unawares. Hesitantly, the creature looked down upon the sleeping form and extended a leg to touch her on the cheek. When Elizabeth showed no sign of stirring, the spider quickly scuttled toward her ear, extending a set of long, thin fangs. With a decisive lunge, it sunk them into the victim's neck, leaving behind two small red marks no bigger than a pinhead. Shrinking, the spider unraveled to again become a puddle of reddish liquid. Contorting again, it began to form a rope of liquid which poured itself into the holes in Elizabeth's neck, until all that remained of the incident were the two red dots tucked away behind Elizabeth's earlobe.

**Sorry about the lack of McWeir in this chapter…don't worry, It's coming! **


	2. The threads

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers so far, I'm glad I've piqued your interest! Also- I realize not everyone likes the McKay/Weir pairing, and I'd like to comfort you a little: It won't be overt, it'll be subtle, and nothing a non-shipper should run away from. So if you like Elizabeth, I think you'll be fine. As for my diehard shippers out there….don't worry, I'll feed you too! Something for everyone! Sorry this chapter's so long, but it had to be!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or the characters.**

IOIOIOI

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up tired and sore. _What did I DO last night? _She wondered, incredulous_. I don't remember my workout being any harder than usual…I didn't get in a fight…my routine was absolutely normal_….Elizabeth pondered what could have caused the dull ache in her neck and the sluggish pace of her brain as she showered and dressed for work.As she walked down the increasingly crowded corridors to her office, she felt a twinge of fear. She couldn't remember last night clearly…she remembered saying goodnight to Andrews on the way out of the control room…but after that was a mystery. A jolt of fear ran through her. From old Stargate command mission reports, she knew that sudden loss of memory in an otherwise healthy individual often meant alien interference, and that was never good. Concerned, she walked around a corner without looking up, and found herself on the floor. When she looked up, it was into the face of a concerned Doctor Heightmeyer.

"Dr. Weir? Are you alright?" she asked, extending a hand to help her up off the floor.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you Kate," Elizabeth replied, straightening up and brushing her pants off. _That was stupid, _she berated herself. _I thought I'd gotten out of the habit of brooding and walking at the same time. I'm getting to be as bad as Rodney, _she thought, slightly amused at the idea of Rodney brushing off on her.

"Is anything troubling you Elizabeth? It's not like you to be so distracted," Kate inquired, eyes searching for any sign of discomfort on Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth took a moment before responding. If she told Doctor Heightmeyer she wasn't all right, and yes, something was troubling her, it would be an acknowledgement of weakness. That even the great Doctor Weir had trouble coping with the daily strain of life on an alien outpost. Elizabeth ran her hands through her hair nervously before saying, "Actually, yes, there is, Kate. Would it be alright to ask you a quick question?"

Kate's eyes showed her surprise at Doctor Weir's answer. "Of course," she quickly responded. "Would you like to come down to my office? I was just-"

"No, if you don't mind, Doctor, I'd rather not. This won't take long," Elizabeth said, glancing down the corridors that make sure no one was paying any attention. But Kate's next words put her at ease.

"Of course we don't have to, if you'd rather not. I understand that as a leader you feel it's better not to be seen with me on a professional basis. I've met very few leaders who feel otherwise. If you'd like to avoid suspicion, I recommend we have breakfast in the mess hall together. That won't arouse suspicion, and I suspect you haven't eaten yet either," Kate accused her gently, a smile tugging around her lips.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a great idea," she told Kate with a smile, and fell into step beside her as they headed down the corridor.

"You can start now, if you like," Doctor Heightmeyer reminded her quietly after walking in silence for a moment.

Gathering herself, Elizabeth told Kate her fears of an alien intrusion and her loss of memory. Safely seated in the middle of the cafeteria, sipping her coffee, Elizabeth relaxed slightly and allowed herself to be questioned thoroughly. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Kate finally broke the silence.

"In your position I can understand your fears of alien intrusion, and I certainly won't advise against your contacting Carson for medical examination. However, I think the answer to your problem is probably entirely unrelated." Elizabeth's eyebrows raised up, surprised.

"Actually, it's not uncommon for people who live in a permanently stressful environment to develop certain psychological side effects from the pressure. One of the more frequent incidents is loss of memory. You need to remember small details much more so than the average person, because in this environment one needs to adapt quickly to sudden changes, and utilize all the knowledge they have about the situation. Your brain tries to commit as much to memory as it can, but eventually, it has to start erasing the less important details. And one of the easiest ways to edit is by erasing a chunk of time that had no "danger triggers." Taking Elizabeth's open face as a good sigh, Kate continued patiently continued her lecture.

"Last night, I would imagine there was nothing that triggered an endorphin response in your system. Consequently, your mind may have decided to lose that memory because it's not imperative to your survival."

Elizabeth looked faintly shocked at this piece of information. "Will this happen often?" she queried, brow knitting together in worry.

"Generally these cases are isolated. I can however, prescribe some exercises for mind control that may help prevent this type of system overload from happening again. In addition, I suggest you try to eliminate as much unnecessary stress from your routine as possible." Kate got up from the table, tray in hand, and headed toward the doors. Elizabeth followed in suite, walking at a comfortable pace beside her as they exited the mess hall.

"I'll talk to Beckett about combining physical exercise with my own treatment. The positive effects of the two should boost your mental health as well as keep you in shape."

"Alright," Elizabeth agreed decisively, "Contact me as soon as everything's arranged, I appreciate your help in this issue Doctor."

"Anytime Elizabeth. Frankly, I'm very proud of you for admitting to me that you had a problem in the first place, and very impressed that you've agreed to treatment. I think you've really grown as a leader to acknowledge that people in positions of power need to keep themselves in prime condition, even if it means a slight loss of personal dignity."

Elizabeth smiled at Doctor Heightmeyer as she headed off in the opposite direction to her own office. Sipping her morning coffee, comfortably ensconced in her office chair, she decided Doctor Heightmeyer was probably right. How could an alien have possibly gotten through the Atlantian filters without setting off an alarm? And even if it had, wouldn't it have affected more people? Elizabeth stared off into space as she continued to mull things over. As for the physical pains…_wasn't someone of SGA five sick a few days ago? _She thought, trying to remember. _Yes, yes, it was Gabrielle Warner. That's probably what this is- the onset of a virus. _Satisfied, she made a mental note to check in with Cason later on. As for alien entry- she could handle that right away. Tapping her earpiece, she said,

"Colonel Sheppard, would you please have your team come to my office immediately? I have a situtation to discuss with you."

"Sure thing Elizabeth," Sheppard replied quickly, "I'll have them there in a few minutes. Sheppard out."

Content, Elizabeth began to organize her files for the day. Finishing the last of her coffee, she swung her chair back around to face the door, propping her elbows on the desk as she did so. Eager to pass the time, she flipped open her laptop for a quick game of solitaire.

**Okay, you know what to do: You read, you review! Oh, and one more thing: I'm no psychologist, so who knows if any of what I said was true. But this will all be explained later….faulty psychology or no, it all has a purpose….**


	3. The corner

**A/N: Ah yes, the last chapter wasn't actually as long as it looked on the computer…sorry about that! I am trying to lengthen them up, but the pacing at the moment seems to be a bit shorter than usual. Again, many thanks to those who have reviewed the story so far, I really appreciate it! I'm glad to hear the psychology isn't too far off and the plot is working out okay….Anyway, here's the next chapter, and the one after this should follow shortly. Possibly within the next hour! (Edited…sorry the update took this long, but seemed to be having trouble uploading documents for a while!)**

**Disclaimer: I. D.o. N.o.t. O.w.n. Stargate Atlantis. (Yes, I get bored typing this over and over. Look for my next exciting disclaimer in the next chapter!)**

IOIOIO

Elizabeth was just about to call her game quits (her mind being much too distracted at the moment to focus on the game) when Sheppard's team arrived. She smiled reassuringly at them as they poured in, trying to mask her trepidation at calling the meeting. _I hope I don't look like an idiot for doing this,_ she thought fervently.

John claimed the seat to her immediate left, looking puzzled, while a concerned Teyla and unreadable Ronan settled in the chairs next to him. Rodney filed in last, laptop in hand, only looking up when he actually entered the room to shoot her a worried frown before taking the end seat next to Ronan.

Elizabeth, despite the seriousness of the situation, couldn't help but giggle inwardly. _He must have the corridors around Atlantis memorized so he doesn't have to "waste his valuable time" any more than necessary, _she thought amused. _I wonder how he accounts for the people though….oh that's right, he doesn't_, she answered herself with an inward grin.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Elizabeth began the meeting. "I'll cut to the chase," Elizabeth said in a no nonsense voice, leaning back in her chair. "I have reason to believe we have a possible alien intruder on Atlantis."

At this, Rodney looked slightly fearful and subconsciously moved himself closer to Ronan. Ronan, however, looked eager to have a bit of action in the otherwise quiet city.

"What's the situation?" queried Sheppard in a serious voice, not bothering to let the news affect him. Elizabeth knew better than to be vague with details, and so again began the story.

"This morning I woke up feeling tired and achy, which, considering how much sleep I got, was unusual. When I tried to remember if I did anything last night that would have caused these symptoms, I discovered I couldn't remember anything beyond saying goodnight to Andrews in the control room. From that moment to the time I woke up this morning, my memory is gone," she finished succinctly, waiting for the news to sink in.

Teyla looked grave as she voiced her question. "And you believe this has something to do with an alien intrusion?"

"Possibly." Elizabeth replied, simultaneously holding up a hand to stop Rodney's comments.

"Let me explain. I talked to Doctor Heightmeyer this morning about what happened. She thought it might have been a psychological response to all the stress we've been under lately, and coupled with how I've been taking care of myself, well, she said it was plausible for this type of thing to occur."

Here Rodney looked startled and slightly guilty, presumably for not noticing her condition sooner.

"Then why do you think this could be alien related?" came Ronan's deep voiced query.

"I…I just want to be sure. I've read the Stargate Command mission reports, and sometimes the symptoms I have are indicators of an alien entity taking control of a person's body. I just want to assure myself that this is not the case, and make sure Atlantis is safe. It never hurts to be careful, especially given out status in this galaxy."

John couldn't help quipping back "_Especially_ in this galaxy," as he flashed a grin. Elizabeth felt relieved at the break in the room's tension. _They're not upset, that's a good sign, _she encouraged herself mentally.

"Well, I think Elizabeth is right," Rodney spoke up abruptly from the right side of the room. "I remember those incidents on earth, I mean, I was there for some of them, and trust me, you never want to let that happen here. And it's not like it's easy to tell if someone's infected either! If you don't catch it when it starts, then pretty soon you have a whole base full of infected people and no way of fighting it off, meanwhile you're top men are taken out-"

"We understand the importance of checking for intruders Doctor McKay, you do not have to explain further," Teyla interrupted gently.

"Oh. Right." Rodney said, looking slightly put out at his lecture being stopped before he had even talked for a full minute.

_They believe me. They don't think I'm crazy, and they agree it's important. How did I find these wonderful people? _Elizabeth thought incredulously, thanking whoever was listening for guiding them to her. Just then, Sheppard's distinct drawl cut through her relief.

"Alright then team, let's make a plan. Ronan, you get a team together and search the city for signs of forced entry. Then head back up here and regroup with me, I want to pay a quick visit to the mainland and see if the Athosians are alright. Doctor McKay, you and Zelenka start scanning the city for alien technology. Teyla, you stay with Doctor Weir and make sure she doesn't start acting…weird." He finished awkwardly, shooting an apologetic glance in Elizabeth's direction.

"Colonel, I believe it should be me who travels to the mainland-" Teyla objected with a frown. John cut her off before she had a chance to explain herself further.

"Teyla, I know they're you're people, but I need you to stay with Doctor Weir. Ronan and I can handle it, you're people don't like us all that much by they'll do what we ask them to. This way, we don't get bogged down over with village problem solving duty or extra chit-chat, which, I have to say, is a distinct likelihood if you went over there."

Teyla looked slightly affronted at this, but finally nodded her acquiescence. Looking relieved, Sheppard continued.

"As for me, I'll take over searching for alien entry through the Stargate, check the recent off world teams for possible run-ins, that sort of thing. Oh, nearly forgot," he broke off suddenly, tapping his earpiece. "Doc, you there?" he asked cheerfully.

"Aye, I'm here Colonel, what ken I do for ye?" the Scotch brogue came back after a moment's delay.

"We have a possible alien intruder on Atlantis. I want you to start calling people in for a checkup and scan them to make sure they're clean. Keep an eye out for people acting out of character or complaining of feeling unusually tired today. Oh- and you should start with Doctor Weir, seeing as she's the one who thinks she might be infected," he added as an afterthought, ignoring Elizabeth's half glare.

"Right, will do Colonel. Doctor Weir, why don't ye head down now and we ken get this over with?" he suggested calmly.

"I'll be right down Carson," Elizabeth replied, deciding it was better to do it now rather than later.

"Right, then we all have our jobs, let's move out!" Sheppard ordered, quickly heading out the door. Ronan strode out purposely behind him, with Rodney shooting one last concerned glance at the women behind him before swiftly moving across the control room and out of sight.

"Shall we go now Doctor Weir?" Teyla hinted mildly.

"Yes, of course," Elizabeth replied, grabbing her jacket before exiting her office.

**Ooooh- I wish you could have gotten to see a different version of this scene…but it wouldn't work for the overall story and I had to cut it. It was so sweet and McWeiry! Oh well, I'll perhaps use it in another story or post it at the end as an alternate version type of thing. Sorry for the let down…but I was so sad about removing it I needed to share the grief! Ah, I HATE editing!**


	4. The web

**A/N: I added this along with chapter three, so I really can't talk too much about this chapter, aside from apologizing again to the McWeirs…It's coming, but this backstory HAS to happen!**

**Disclaimer: This is sung to the tune of, "The more we sing together": **

**I do not own Atlantis, well, _Stargate_ Atlantis, **

**I do not own Atlantis, but let me tell thee:**

**I would love to buy it, but don't have the money,**

**So please, if anyone can, just give it to me!**

**(ducks the rotten tomatoes) Look for another weird disclaimer soon!**

IOIOIO

Carson was finishing his staff briefing when Elizabeth and Teyla walked into the infirmary. Glancing up at them, Carson dismissed his staff and strode over.

"Right, let's get this over with, shall we?" he invited, motioning for Elizabeth to take a seat on the cot to his left. Teyla was taken to one at the end of the room by a girl whom Elizabeth thought she remembered to be Carson's second in command…though she wasn't quite sure.

_That's odd, _she remarked inwardly. _Normally I'm so good at names and ranks…_Elizabeth decided to ignore her lapse in memory for the moment. With all the people who lived in the city, it was foolish of her to expect herself to know everything all the time.

"Now Doctor Weir, can ye tell me your symptoms? Any unusual aches or pains? Doctor Heightmeyer said somethin' about a loss of memory to me this mornin' have you been taking those pills I prescribed for ye?" Carson's seemingly endless stream of questions continued for about half an hour as he checked Elizabeth over. Elizabeth responded as in as much detail as she could, all the while feeling uneasy.

It wasn't like Carson to be so bubbly when he was examining someone…in fact, she had only seen him become so verbose when he was really nervous. Thus she couldn't stop herself from wringing her hands slightly as she waited for Carson to come back with results of her scans.

Teyla had already been cleared and was sitting in a chair beside her, trying to distract Elizabeth by telling her of the latest news from the mainland. Elizabeth's answers were so short and disinterested however that she eventually stopped, and sat with her in a tense silence. Both women were glad when the sound of Carson's footsteps were heard and he appeared from his office with a smile.

"Well lass, I have good news. You're free of all alien bodies, as far as my scans can tell, even the ones that we used the ancient devices for. In fact, your overall state of health appears fine, though by your white blood cell count it looks like ye could be comin' down with a wee bit of a virus, which explains those aches you've got. These pills should help you get over it faster, and as long as you keep an eye on what you eat and how much rest you're getting, I think you'll be back to normal in a few days," he said happily.

Elizabeth had to strongly resist the urge to wrap Carson in a bear hug. She felt a great weight lift from her shoulders, and felt a broad smile beginning to tug at the corner of her mouth.

"Thank you Doctor Beckett, I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that. I suppose I was just being paranoid about the alien intruder… but as we all know, it's prudent to be overcautious as opposed to reckless," Elizabeth got up off the cot and began to walk toward the door, Beckett following. Without pause, Elizabeth continued her speech.

"That being said, I'd feel safer continuing your screening of personnel, just to be absolutely positive. Besides, I believe certain teams have managed to avoid their checkups for a few weeks now, and this gives you the perfect opportunity to corral them in here," she said with a devious grin, noting Carson's lack of objection to this idea.

"Sure thing Elizabeth, I'll let you know when we're through" he said as Teyla joined them at the archway. Bidding him farewell, Teyla and Elizabeth headed down the corridor to the transporter.

As they walked, Teyla informed Colonel Sheppard of the results of the physical. John was quite happy to hear the news, but added he'd prefer if Teyla continued to stay with Doctor Weir for a little while longer, just to be safe. Teyla ended the call to the Colonel as they stepped out of the transporter. In front of them, Elizabeth caught sight of Rodney's blue clad form turning the corner. Jogging slightly to catch up with him, Elizabeth taped him on the back.

"What! Can't you see I'm- Oh, sorry Elizabeth," Rodney apologized quickly as he realized who it was. Smiling to let him know she hadn't taken offense, Elizabeth gave him the good news.

"I just wanted to let you know Carson gave me and Teyla and clean bill of health," Elizabeth said, watching his face turn considerably more cheerful at the news.

"Really? That's great, I'm glad to hear it. Actually, I was just about to call you and Sheppard to let you know that so far we've come up empty in our scans…but we still have a few more tricks up our sleeves before we can be certain," Rodney added, slowing his feverish face a moment to allow Teyla to catch up to them.

"Good Work Doctor, keep me informed," Elizabeth commanded, watching Rodney zoom away back though the corridors.

"Shall we have lunch now, Doctor Weir?" Teyla suggested, inclining her head towards the cafeteria.

"That's a great idea, I am kind of hungry," Elizabeth admitted, following the Athosian into the mess hall. Over a fresh salad, with the sea breeze blowing in on her face, Elizabeth allowed herself to relax for the first time in several hours. The sun temporarily seemed to soothe away the minor muscle pain in her back and neck as she stretched her legs out under the table. Happy at the chance to get to know Teyla better, she decided it was a good time to ask her about herself.

"So what was your life like before we came here Teyla? Had you been the leader of the Athosians for very long?" she asked during a lull in conversation, spooning up another mouthful of broth she had requested from the kitchen.

Teyla looked startled for the briefest of moments, if she hadn't know better, Elizabeth would have said she had looked afraid. _But that's ridiculous_ Elizabeth assured herself, and decided she needed to spend more time with Teyla so that these abrupt changes in conversation need not happen.

"Had I been leader very long? I, _suppose_ I had. I took over leadership after my father died, which was when I was a youth, but after I had matured to a woman…by your count, I would say I had been leader for around five years before you came to this galaxy," Teyla concluded after pausing a few times to get her bearings.

"What about yourself Doctor Weir? Were you in charge of a similar facility before Atlantis?" she asked swiftly, changing the subject.

Elizabeth's diplomatic training did not fail her as she assessed the situation. Teyla was clearly uncomfortable talking about herself, or at last doing so in front of her. Elizabeth had no wish to alienate the young woman by pressing the issue further, and so glibly responded to Teyla's question, and allowed herself to be guided away from the more personal topics.

Towards the end of their lunch, Elizabeth began to feel a bit sore. Her head was beginning to throb slightly, and a sudden weariness seemed to have taken over her muscles. Excusing herself, Elizabeth bid a hasty retreat to her room. By the time they reached her quarters, Elizabeth was too exhausted to put up a fight when Teyla insisted upon staying, instead telling her to make herself at home before climbing gratefully into her bed. Within moments, Elizabeth was asleep.

**Right, hold on to your seatbelts, because your world is about to turn upside down…hope the next chapter won't infuriate you all, but it's been hinted at….(evil grin from the author) Now is a good time to mention that it's very, very late here and my mind is very tired...so forgive the sillyness**


	5. The fly

**A/N: Right, sorry about the update delay but I was inspired to write a later chapter when I needed to have written this one…in the end I couldn't kill the plot bunny and so this took longer to get around to. Thanks again to all my reviewers! I love you guys! Glad to hear you're up for fun, because fun we will have…evil grin returns**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the tiniest dust speck from Stargate Atlantis, nonetheless an atom of a character. I do someday, however, hope to acquire a SGA tee-shirt…**

IOIOIO

"Elizabeth?" Sheppard called from outside Doctor Weir's door. "Elizabeth, can I come in? " he queried, reluctant to enter his boss's quarters without the go-ahead. Never one to prolong the inevitable he shrugged and raised his hand to the doorway.

"Okay, I gave you fair warning, I'm coming in," John said decisively, and, resisting the urge to cover his eyes, swiped the pad and entered the room. Glancing around cautiously, he spoke again.

"You know you're late to your own meeting? Not to mention you turned your comm off, wait till I tell Caldwell on you for that one…Elizabeth?" he asked again, a note of puzzlement creeping into his voice. No reply.

Alert and wary, his hand inched towards his gun as he crept silently across the open living room and towards the adjoining space. After waiting a moment to see if he could hear any movement from within, he swung around the doorway, gun at the ready. Taking a look to make sure the room was secure, he at last approached the woman on the bed.

"Elizabeth," he said quietly, tapping her on the shoulder. "Elizabeth? Time to wake up," he continued, voice louder. He spent another minute in vain trying to revive her before calling for help.

"Beckett? This is Sheppard, we have an emergency in Doctor Weir's quarters, I need you down here A.S.A.P., Doctor Weir is unconscious in a probable coma, I can't seem to revive her" he said quickly, in the firm and slightly icy voice Beckett had come to know as the "danger alert".

"I'll be there right away son, don't try an wake her anymore, it could be harmful. Beckett out," he concluded, wasting no time in lengthy chatter.

Sheppard wasn't done yet, however. "Rodney, Teyla, Ronan, I need you in Doctor Weir's quarters Now! Dr. Weir is unconscious and unresponsive. Beckett's on the way."

Sheppard could hear the sound of Ronan unsheathing several of his knives and Rodney's panic-stricken babbling as Teyla's voice came back to him. "We will be there right away Colonel, Teyla out."

With that done, John sighed and sat in an empty chair close to the bed. _What the hell is wrong with her?_ He thought, frustrated, not knowing that a variation of those thoughts was echoing in the minds of each of his team members. Restless, he stood by the bed and tried to discern a clue as to what had happened. There was no sign of a struggle, no clue as to why Elizabeth lay in a coma.

John's musings came to an end as Carson and his team stormed into the room, worry etched on everyone's face. Moving aside, he allowed Beckett access to Elizabeth's form.

For once, Rodney participated in the hushed silence that had settle over the room as Carson proceeded to check Elizabeth's vitals and physical appearance. "What's this?" he exclaimed quietly during the later exercise, brushing away Elizabeth's hair to get a better look at the skin behind her earlobe.

"What is it?" Came Rodney's nervous question from the back of the room.

"Come and see," Carson invited, moving to allow the team a better view of the patient. Once they were all assembled, he explained his findings.

"Elizabeth's vital are all fine. Her physical appearance is without signs of a fight, and her bloodstream lacks foreign substances. In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary is here," he said, indicating the two red puncture wounds behind her ear.

"It looks like a vampire bite," came Sheppard's observation, to the chagrin of the doctor.

"Yes, one might say that- but it also resembles a snake or spider bite. It's the only clue we have as to why she's like this," he said sadly, gazing at Elizabeth's still form.

"I thought you said there were no traces of poison in her bloodstream?" Teyla said puzzled. "If that is the case, would that not contradict that this is caused by a spider bite or snake bite?"

"Aye lass, that's just the problem," Beckett sighed. "I don't see what connection this could possibly have. As a matter of fact, at the moment, I'm bloody stumped," he said, upset at his inability to discover an explanation. A few minutes passed in silence as they group tried to think of ideas.

"Is there nothing we can do for her?" Teyla said breaking the silence, moving to take a hold of Elizabeth's hand.

"Right now, she appears fine without my interferring. Of course, I'll move her down to the infirmary for observation in a few mom-"

"Hold it!" Rodney interrupted, snapping is fingers.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," he commanded, running out of the room. Five minutes later he returned with Radek and several pieces of Atlantian technology.

"I have an idea," Rodney said as he hovered around Elizabeth nervously. "I remember- well, a few years back at the SGC there was an incident with an alien entity taking over people's bodies. When the entity left, they entered a coma, some even died. If I'm right, and I really, really hope I'm not- then we may have an intruder in the city," he said seriously, voice lacking the normal enthusiasm he showed at solving a mystery.

"You think Dr. Weir has undergone something similar?" Teyla asked, receiving conformation in the form of a nod.

John couldn't contain his curiosity. "And those are for…what exactly?" he said, gesturing at the equipment Radek was assembling.

"A few weeks ago we found this device in one of the abandoned science laboratories. We didn't know what it was at first- we thought it was broken even- until Miko pointed out that it had two life sign detectors, not one. We're still not sure, obviously we've had no way to test it- but Radek and I think it's a second consciousness detector- a way to see if a person is being controlled by an outside source or not. Made me wonder it the goauld used to come here," he added sarcastically, worry making him even more disagreeable.

"Are you ready Rodney?" Zelenka asked quietly, standing on the opposite side of the bed, device at the ready.

"Do it," ordered Rodney after glancing at Sheppard, who nodded. Rodney closed his eyes briefly, praying that this wouldn't harm Elizabeth. _If it does, I'm a dead man, _he thought, then noted with surprise his lack of concern for himself at the moment. _I'd be glad to die if anything happened to her, _he realized bitterly. Startled, he brushed the ghost of the words _in love with her_ from his mind as he awaited the machine's verdict.

"Oh my God," exclaimed Radek softly as he looked at the screen.

"What is it?" demanded Rodney, with Carson echoing a few beats behind.

"She's…she has…Rodney?" Radek implored, giving up and gesturing for him to come and look. Bracing himself, Rodney looked at the screen. His face paled as he turned back to their expectant faces.

"There's an alien consciousness inside Elizabeth," he started, unable to keep a slight waver from his voice.

"We can tell because it's emitting very faint life signs that differ radically from a human's, so the brain waves we're receiving must be the entity's." Rodney paused before continuing, his fearful eyes staring into his team's like a mirror into a well.

"But that's not the worst part. Elizabeth's consciousness…it isn't showing up."

**Wee! Aren't you all confused now! Or are you? Maybe some clever ones have already figured it out…well, we'll see! Trust me, this is just the beginning of weird…**


	6. The bird sees the spider

**A/N: Happy father's day! Hope everyone's doing well- some quick notes before we get started.**

**First of all, I am tempted to rate this chapter alone as "M" for violence. So please, if you're at all squeamish about that, wait to read this chapter starting after the "XXXXX" until some others review it and tell me what they think.**

**Speaking of reviews, if you could tell me what you think about the rating for this chapter I'd really appreciate it, it may just be that I'm not used to writing violence so it seems worse to me. Again, thanks to all my lovely reviewers! You make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis, but if I had a dollar for every time I wrote this I could buy it in the near future!**

IOIOIO

"What de ye mean, it's not showing up? Carson exclaimed, rushing around to see for himself. "This is impossible," he said softly a few seconds later, ogling the machine's readouts.

"Maybe it's broken," suggested Ronan off handedly.

"Let me see it," sighed Sheppard, moving to place a hand on the device.

"What are you, the techno-whisperer?" Rodney snipped at him, glowering despite the situation at Sheppard's remarkable skill with the ancient technology.

"Just shut up Rodney," was the terse response. It took only moments before Sheppard pulled away, shaking his head.

"I hate to say it, but I think the device is working just fine. Normally I can kind of feel this- twist on me when something from the city is malfunctioning, and I didn't feel that here."

He paused, looking grim. "That means one thing- we have an alien- or possible aliens- in the city. We need to lock it down, _now." _

He waited for Carson, Rodney, and Teyla to confirm his assessment with a nod, then quickly touched his earpiece and radioed the control room. "Andrews, I need you to put me on loudspeaker to the whole of the city, I have an announcement."

"You're live sir," came the reply after a brief delay.

"Attention all personnel. This is Colonel Sheppard. As of this moment, we are in a lockdown. All gate travel is henceforth cancelled until further notice. Right now we can't tell you much about the situation, all we know is that there is at least one alien entity inhabiting the body of Dr. Elizabeth Weir. We'll update you as we know more.

For right now, I need everyone to try and stay calm, we'll be calling everyone down to the infirmary to get checked out. Sheppard out," he concluded, but motioning for everyone to stay quiet. Rodney suddenly moved towards Radek, and the two began talking in very fast, hushed whispers. Hoping this was a good sign, John tapped his earpiece again, this time requesting to be patched into the Dedalus to speak with Caldwell.

"Did you catch that Sir?" he questioned, hoping Caldwell was in a cooperative mood today.

"Yes I did Sheppard. I'm sorry to hear about the Dr. Weir. Is there anything we can do for you?" was his calm reply.

"Right now you're fine so long as you don't head out anywhere, you're under quarantine too you know," Sheppard said lightly.

"Oh, so that's what it is," came back Caldwell's voice, tinged with a slight chuckle. "Don't worry Colonel, I'll be a good boy and stay here and baby-sit you all until this is over, and please, feel free to have my crew down to the infirmary as well. Caldwell out," he ended before Sheppard could respond.

John grinned slightly. That man was exasperating at times, but goddamn he could be useful when he felt like it.

"Okay, that's taken care of. What now Doctors? Any ideas? Or were you taking a break while I did all the hard stuff?"

Rodney looked affronted at this insinuation. "I'll have you know I never take breaks! It's a wonder I trusted you to inform the city while I sat there and figured this out with Radek, your brain being high on machismo and all at the moment," he bantered back, stopping only at the look Teyla shot him from her position by the bed.

"Okay, okay, sorry, I forgot you're caffeine levels are much higher than the rest of us. Tell us, what did you come up with?"

Radek jumped in to answer the question before Rodney could, knowing it would save time.

"We think the reason Elizabeth's consciousness isn't showing up is because the entity has trapped it somehow. Normally, well, in all the previous cases we've dealt with for alien possession, the victim remains conscious while the entity takes over. They may not remember when they wake up, but they are conscious during the habitation period. In this instance, it may be that the entity has managed- or chosen- to have Dr. Weir be unconscious, the purpose of which we have no idea."

"But we will have an idea very, very, soon, as soon as we get her down to the infirmary for a few more tests," Rodney jumped in smoothly, taking the last word.

"Right then," Carson said, radioing for a backup team to help him as he spoke, "let's get her down to the infirmary."

Carson's med team arrived promptly and loaded Elizabeth onto the stretcher. Carson lead the group back to the infirmary in silence, each in their own thoughts. As they reached the infirmary, Carson turned to address the team.

"I know we need te see what's going on with Dr. Weir, but ye'll have te continue without me for a bit, I've got te brief mah staff on this, it's going to be hard to explain what we're looking for… actually, Rodney, could you and Radek come with me and show them how the device works? It may be our only way of telling if a person's infected," he pointed out, turning his blue eyes onto their wary faces.

"It's a good idea," Sheppard advised, trying to coerce the scientists. "Teyla and Ronan and I need to discuss battle strategy anyway, and we don't need you under our feet. At any rate, standing around Dr. Weir shaking our heads won't accomplish anything, we're of more use if we split up for a while," he ended firmly.

"Alright. But we get this over with a quickly as possible," McKay begrudgingly agreed, directing his words at Carson. It was no use arguing with John when he spoke like that…the again….Eyes lighting suddenly, he continued.

"But you don't need both of us there. Radek," he said with a cheerful smile, "why don't you go with Carson, and I'll nip back to the labs and see if there are any more of the devices laying around?"

Radek shot Rodney an utterly filthy look before saying "Fine," with very bad humor and following Carson, muttering a few well placed curses in Czech.

Rodney took one last look at Elizabeth before bouncing out the door and back to the labs, glad at escaping a meeting in the "voodoo department." His joy was shortlived as he approached the lab where they had come across the device.

_Elizabeth's in trouble,_ he thought morosely, _and there's practically nothing I can do to help her. Just play the grocery boy. _Praying there were more devices hidden somewhere, he entered the lab.

XXXXX

_In her dream, they were running. She could see them all, as clearly as if they stood before her. McKay was at the head of the group, eyes fixed on the Stargate so as to remove himself from the chaos that surrounded him. Teyla was just behind him, pausing every now and then in her stride to look back at Ronan and Sheppard, who were defending the rear. _

_Elizabeth wondered why she wasn't back there fighting….then she saw a villager lunge out at McKay, only to be shot down by a blow from Teyla before Rodney had even realized what was happening. _Oh_, Elizabeth realized, _she's his bodyguard

_He was closer now, she could see the fear in his eyes as sweat trickled down his face, only to fly off with the next step he took. _

_Moving to follow him as he ran past, she found herself breaking into a swift sprint as they approached the DHD. Rodney lunged for the device, swiftly pressing the coordinated for Atlantis. The wormhole opened, and Rodney radioed through that they had incoming, before stepping onto the platform and waiting for his team to catch up. _

_But they _weren't_ catching up. Elizabeth climbed up next to Rodney to see what had caused the delay. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in the scene below. Ronan and Sheppard had been overtaken by the villagers, and were being beaten soundly. _

_Blood flew from the circle of men as they turned her team's own weapons against them. John was delivered a swift blow to the head before crumpling in heap. Ronan roared and fought harder to free himself, but to no avail. _

_Suddenly, Elizabeth saw a blur move towards the circle and jump straight into the middle. A few moments later, Teyla's head had surfaced again as she began beating back the men who had surrounded Sheppard's unmoving form. Rodney took one look at what was happening and ran towards the fray, leaving Elizabeth motionless on the platform. _

_Heart in her mouth, she saw Rodney throw several well aimed punches to break into the group which Teyla was fighting single-handedly. She saw Teyla scream something to Rodney, to which he screamed back a reply, it seemed to be negative. Again Teyla ordered McKay to do something, this time Rodney looked down at his feet. _

_She saw Rodney look back at Teyla and nod as he began to drag something through the mob, fending off their attackers as best he could. Teyla covered for them when she had the opportunity, and between the two Elizabeth soon saw Rodney and Sheppard re-emerge and approach her vantage point. _

_Meanwhile, Teyla had fought her way towards Ronan, managing to reach him in time to stop him from being pulled under. With the two back to back, the villagers found themselves unable to land a blow. Frustrated, they roared in anger, unhappily moving outwards as the heavy blows from the duo pushed them back. _

_Enraged that their prey were escaping, Elizabeth watched as fully half of the assembled men turned towards Rodney at a run. Hearing the noise behind him, Rodney turned around just as they had reached the DHD. He cursed as he saw the approaching crowd. Elizabeth ran forward and tried to help him lift Sheppard up to the platform, but she couldn't seem to grab hold of him firmly. _

_Alone, Rodney shoved Sheppard up onto the platform, launching himself up moments later. Radioing Atlantis again, he rolled John's body through the gate as the first villagers reached the bottom of the stairs. _

_Panic-stricken , Rodney was frozen to the spot as he saw the hoard come towards him. The villagers raised their weapons, yelling in triumph at having cornered one of the aliens. Blood lust covered their faces as they swarmed the stairs, knives grasped firmly in their hands. One of the younger men- he was only a boy- realized Elizabeth with horror- launched a stone at Rodney from where he stood at the bottom of the platform. It whizzed past his head and into the Stargate. _

_At this, Rodney was finally able to move, making a running start towards the gate. As he dove into the wormhole beside her, Elizabeth saw his eyes close in resignation as he told Atlantis to close the iris once he was through. _

_Walking through the villagers to the edge of the platform, Elizabeth saw why. Teyla and Ronan were trapped. In the time it had taken for the men to follow Rodney, those left behind had called the women out of their homes as reinforcements. The women had poured onto the street, brandishing pots and pans, soap, anything they could carry to try and destroy the invaders. At the same time, many of the men who had followed Rodney ran back towards the village, effectively reforming the circle. _

_Against such numbers there was little hope. She saw Teyla falter in her moves as a bucket of soapy water hit her full in the face. Instinctively, she bent her head towards her chest and attempted to rid her eyes of the pain. This gave the men the opportunity they had waited for._

_They tackled her to the ground, where they began to deliver her another set of furious blows and cuts from their knives. Moaning, Teyla attempted to fight back, but by now the men had her at a disadvantage, pinning her under them and preventing her from shifting her center of balance. With no way to get up, Teyla resorted to trying the kick her attackers off her. _

_With a sharp crack, a wooden pole flashed across her knees. Teyla's scream tore through the air as her legs fell still. Deciding they had waited long enough, the tallest of the assembled villagers- probably the leader- Elizabeth noted automatically- motioned that they should step away from her. Approaching Teyla fearlessly, Elizabeth saw Teyla's tear-streaked face rise up to see her killer as his blade slashed ruthlessly across her neck. _

_Elizabeth's scream mingled with Ronan's heart-breaking roar of rage as her protector saw what had happened. Fighting with renewed vigor, he lashed out in grief against anyone and anything that touched him, not stopping when the same soapy water that had brought about Teyla's demise hit his eyes as well. Ignoring the pain, he picked up two of the closest men and smashed their heads together with a crack._

_Elizabeth was numb from shock. She barely registered the pounding of boots through the gate behind her as several SGA teams headed towards Ronan. They were too late. In the seconds it had taken Atlantis to close the wormhole and reestablish a connection, Teyla had died. _

_Tears pouring down her face, Elizabeth managed to get up and go though the stargate. She found herself back in Atlantis within moments, watching herself peer down from the gangway that overlooked the gateroom, face etched with blind fear. In slow motion, she saw herself crumple as Teyla's body was carried through the gate, leaning on the rails for support._

_Suddenly Elizabeth saw herself pitch forwards and fall to her knees as a voice came though on the radio. But Elizabeth couldn't discern what it said, she couldn't stand anymore- this wasn't real, it couldn't be, where was she, she had to wake up, no mission could end like that, she wouldn't have let them go to such a place, this couldn't be happening, she had to wake up…_

With a cry Elizabeth sat up in bed, shaking and tear stricken. Still half in the dream, she felt Teyla pulling her into a hug, patting her back and stroking her hair. Crying, Elizabeth let Teyla comfort her, still upset from the events of her dream, but relived it had only been a nightmare.

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth had convinced Teyla she was fine, really, and she really just wanted to return to work. Nodding reluctantly, Teyla allowed Elizabeth to shower and dress for work, staying close to her as they headed off to the control room half and hour later.

_It was only a dream, _Elizabeth thought with relief as she sank into her office chair and pulled a folder towards her. _Only a dream. _And she began briefing SGA-12 on their next mission.

IOIOIO

"Anything?" queried Carson from his office doorway as he watched Rodney enter the infirmary.

"Nope," he replied glumly, crossing to Elizabeth. "Any change?" he asked, reaching as if to take her hand, but thinking better of it.

"Not a twitch," Carson said sadly, "but at least we haven't had to deal with whatever's inside her yet," he added, trying to look on the bright side.

"Yet," echoed Rodney darkly, gazing down at the pale form on the bed.

Sighing, Carson went to tell Radek that Rodney was back. He only wished he had better news.

**A/N: A quick guide for the rest of this story: Elizabeth's dreams are in italics, and her POV will follow the "XXXXX" markers, the team's POV from the "IOIOIO" markers. I think you'll have seen where I'm going with this story now…..that should have cleared up few things… At least I hope so!**


	7. The bird hops closer

**A/N: SORRY! Arugh, I am so disgusted with myself for leaving you all hanging, sadly my muses left me when the ability to upload documents to the site did (for those of you authors, I'm sure you remember the trauma). So here is the next installment, I hope it continues to make things clearer. Thanks again to all my reviewers, you're the best!**

IOIOIO

"All right team, let's get to work," Sheppard had ordered as soon as Rodney exited the room.

Teyla and Ronan took a seat beside Dr. Weir as Sheppard paced slightly.

"What do we know? What do we need to do? And how do we do it?" he asked, questioning himself as much as his teammates.

Teyla was the first to volunteer. "I believe I should contact the mainland and tell them of our situation. While I am there I can also ask our elders if they have ever heard of a similar condition."

"I'll go with her," Ronan volunteered.

Sheppard fought back a groan. The man was like a puppy; his devotion to Teyla was admirable, but annoying when it got under your feet.

"No Ronan, Colonel Sheppard needs you here with him. I will be fine," Teyla reassured the larger man, glancing at John as she did so. He confirmed her assessment with a nod.

"That's right big guy, we have work to do. So Teyla, keep in radio contact and be back as soon as you can. Get Peterson to fly you over, he'll keep you safe," he advised as he walked Teyla to the door. Nodding, she took a last look at Dr. Weir before setting off briskly down the hallway.

Sheppard quickly returned his attention to the city. "Alright, the mainland's covered. Now it's our turn. We need to search for possible points of alien entry to the city- it's going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack," he concluded grimly.

Ronan began unsheathing several knives as he replied. "I'll take the levels we haven't cleared yet. I move faster alone, and it's less risky."

Sheppard didn't like that idea. Not one bit. But he knew it had to be done. "Okay. But I want you to check in every five minutes and take a shield device, just to be safe."

Ronan shrugged. "Sure."

"Great," Sheppard stated as he motioned for Ronan to follow him out the door. Moving towards the labs, he outlined his own plan of attack.

"SGA 3, 4, 6, and 10 will take the lower levels. I'll send 11,13, 14, and 19 to the middle levels. The top will be teams 20 through 25. I'll stay in the control room and see what I can do with the ancient technology. We should plan on meeting back in the infirmary when the sweep is over. That good for you?" he asked as they entered Miko's lab.

Ronan nodded and said simply "If there's and alien, we'll find it," as he helped Sheppard dig through the closet for a shield device. Finding one, John slapped it on Ronan.

"Good thing we modified these so you don't need the gene," Sheppard grinned as Ronan tried to shot himself experimentally.

"Works," was Ronan's grunted response. With that, he marched out of the lab and off to the transporter without a backward glance. Smiling, Sheppard set off at a jog toward the control room.

IOIOIO

Rodney stared at the wall in front of him morosely. An entire hour of searching through the labs had failed to turn up any more devices. _A waste of my invaluable time, _Rodney snapped to himself as he tapped his earpiece and stormed towards the transporters.

"Zelenka?" he said as he entered the transporter, shoving aside several unlucky scientists as he did so.

"Yes Rodney?" Zelenka sighed back. _This wasn't sounding good_ he thought, preparing himself for the onslaught.

"There are no more devices," came the irate voice from the radio. "Tell me that you and Carson, at least, managed to do something productive in the hour I've been away."

Grimacing, Zelenka paused before passing him off to Carson. "Rodney," Carson began

_Oh this is so not good_ Rodney thought as he registered the change in speakers.

"The good news is that we think we'll be through screening personnel very quickly, Zelenka modified the device so that it can scan a person in under twenty seconds. That means we'll have about 3 people done in a minute, and-"

"A grand total of 180 people in an hour, yes, that's very good to hear Carson. It will only take three hours to screen the entire city, excellent. Have you done anything else? It didn't take you an hour to do _that_ did it?" he bristled, stepping out of the transporter. Deciding this was no time for modesty, he began jogging to the infirmary.

"Honestly Rodney, no need to snap, we're all worried as well you know. To answer you yes, we also managed to come up with some theories concerning Elizabeth's condition," Carson responded, whirling around when Rodney's voice passed by his shoulder.

"Well, don't just stand there, what are they?" demanded Rodney as he went over to peer at the briefing notes Zelenka held out to him in shock.

_The man must 'ave run clear from the transporter to here to make it in that time! By god he's really worried about the lass, _Beckett marveled. Zelenka exchanged a look with the Doctor as they watched the man in front of them pour over the notes.

Zelenka took a seat next to McKay as he began to talk over the theories they had come up with. Carson watched for a moment before contacting the control room and patching himself into the city's intercoms.

"Hello, this is Doctor Beckett. If the inhabitants of the first two levels would please make their way to the infirmary now, we will begin testing. The entire city will be done within the next three hours, so jest sit tight and try te relax, We have the situation under control and will update you shortly when we have results. Thank you."

Beckett ended the call with a positive note, rather pleased at his first public announcement. Leaving the scientists debating in his office, he made his way out to the area where they would be scanning the expedition members.

IOIOIO

Rodney had finally stopped arguing with Beckett by the time Carson returned from the testing room. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he all but fell into his desk chair.

"Well?" came Rodney's brisk inquiry from the table.

Sighing, Beckett said simply "We've scanned all the members of the expedition who are currently on base. Although we had a few people reporting strange behavior, everyone scanned clean. As of this point in time, I have every reason to believe that Atlantis is free from any other alien entities."

Zelenka nodded. "Are we the only two people you haven't scanned yet?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes, we got Teyla when she came back from the mainland, and the colonel and Ronan a few minutes ago. Colonel Sheppard said to tell you he'd be here shortly. "

"Good good," Rodney said absentmindedly. "Then he can be here when Dr. Heightmeyer arrives."

Carson's perplexed face prompted Radek to jump in and explain.

"We think- based on the medical readouts from the machine and our own equipment- that the entity may be controlling Elizabeth's mind, like some type of virtual reality. In doing so, it may blend Elizabeth's brainwaves in with it's own so that there appears to be only one signature."

"Then why-"

"Do we need Dr. Heightmeyer? In case whatever's inside of her wakes up and wants to chat," Rodney replied, successfully anticipating the rest of Beckett's query.

Satisfied, the Doctors waited in silence for the rest of the team of arrive. Radek's face bore faint traces of worry, but a little excitement at having a new problem to solve. Beckett shielded his concern, only allowing the fear he felt to show when he stared into his coffee. Rodney was letting his nervousness show by pacing around the room with the briefing file, his hands whizzing around his head as he talked to himself in a quiet mumble,

Carson was just pouring himself another cup of coffee when Dr. Heighmeyer entered with Ronan by her side. John and Teyla appeared a moment later, taking a quick look at Elizabeth before walking over towards the assembled group.

"Well, who wants to share first?" Sheppard said, quickly breaking the silence that had threatened to overtake them.

"The mainland has been alerted to our situation and is secure," Teyla stated as she took a seat on an empty infirmary bed. "No one has shown any unusual behavior, and I was the first person they have seen from Atlantis in two weeks. They are willing to be tested, but I don't think it will be necessary," she said as she looked at Doctor Beckett.

"Teyla's right Colonel. Everyone here scanned clean, so I would say we needn't bother testing the Athosians, Elizabeth hasn't been over to the mainland in months, te likelihood of one o' them being a carrier is very small," the Scotsman said.

Sheppard nodded. "I agree. For now, isolation should keep them safe. Did the elders have any further information Teyla?"

"When I asked the elders if they had heard of anything like this, they said the closets thing was my own possession by the wraith. I am sorry we could not have been of more help," she finished, bowing her head slightly,

"Not your fault. Next briefing," he shot over to Rodney, who jumped slightly from where he had been gazing at his laptop.

"Er- right. I guess I might as well explain our theory: we think Elizabeth's subconscious an conscious mind is being manipulated by this entity. In controlling Elizabeth's mind, the entity could cause her brain waves to appear as it's own- or vice versa, explaining why there was only one brain wave on the scanner. I admit it has to be a highly evolved life form to be able to fool the Ancients, but it has happened before," he pointed out.

"What we need to do now is to find a way to communicate with the entity- even if it refuses to negotiate, any information we collect will be better than what we have now," Radek finished.

There was a heavy silence as the group pondered what to do. Just as Sheppard was about to say they should split up again, Teyla crossed over to Dr. Weir. Intrigued, John followed her. Teyla studied the readouts from the various devices Elizabeth was hooked up to, finally turning to look at the Colonel.

"Colonel- I am not completely certain, but I believe I have a way to contact the entity."

**Thanks again for staying with me! The good news is, I'm now on vacation for a bit and should be able to update much more often. I hope to finish the story by next Friday!**


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